Keep in mind, languages are messy phenomena. While most of the vowel changes took place between 1400-1450, some words were still changing in Shakespeare's day, in Andrew MarveIle's time, and even in the late 1700s. (Some linguists argue that it's still taking place in Southern dialects of America). These exceptions simply need to be memorized. You can review a list of them in the downloadable PDF file of all the material we've covered.

The PDF file appearing in the link above is adapted from materials Professor James Boren designed for his Chaucer students at the University of Oregon. Any errors in this webpage are the result of my own scribal corruptions rather than a product of the original work. --Kip Wheeler